Beginning
Obadiah Meets Elijah
18 Now it happened (A)after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and (B)I will provide rain on the face of the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab summoned Obadiah, (C)who was in charge of the household. (Now Obadiah [a](D)feared the Lord greatly; 4 for (E)when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and (F)provided them with bread and water.) 5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the river valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle.” 6 So they divided the land between them to [b]survey it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, (G)and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, Elijah my master?” 8 And he said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” 9 But he said, “What [c]sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab, to put me to death? 10 (H)As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my master has not sent word to search for you; and whenever they say, ‘He is not here,’ he makes the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11 Yet now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here!”’ 12 And it will come about when I leave you (I)that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to where I do not know; so when I come and inform Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, though I, your servant, have [d]feared the Lord from my youth. 13 (J)Has it not been reported to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid a hundred [e]prophets of the Lord by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? 14 Yet now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me!” 15 Then Elijah said, “(K)As surely as the Lord of armies lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly present myself to him today.” 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and informed him; then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, (L)Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?” 18 He said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because (M)you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and (N)you have followed the Baals. 19 Now then, send orders and gather to me all Israel at (O)Mount Carmel, (P)together with 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of [f](Q)the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
God or Baal on Mount Carmel
20 So Ahab sent orders among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “(R)How long are you going to [g]struggle with the two choices? (S)If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him so much as a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I (T)alone am left as a prophet of the Lord, while Baal’s prophets are (U)450 men. 23 Now have them give us two oxen; and have them choose the one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and (V)the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people replied, “[h]That is a good idea.”
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose the one ox for yourselves and prepare it first, since there are many of you, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under the ox.” 26 Then they took the ox which [i]was given them and they prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was (W)no voice and no one answered. And they [j]limped about the altar which [k]they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah ridiculed them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, since he is a god; undoubtedly he is attending to business, or is on the way, or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep, and will awaken.” 28 So they cried out with a loud voice, and (X)cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until blood gushed out on them. 29 When midday was past, they raved (Y)until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and [l]no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come forward to me.” So all the people came forward to him. And (Z)he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. 31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “(AA)Israel shall be your name.” 32 And with the stones he built an altar in (AB)the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two [m]measures of seed. 33 (AC)Then he laid out the wood, and he cut the ox in pieces and placed it on the wood. 34 And he said, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” so they did it a second time. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” so they did it a third time. 35 The water flowed around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
Elijah’s Prayer
36 Then (AD)at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached and said, “(AE)Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that (AF)You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and that (AG)I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that You, Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back.” 38 Then the (AH)fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, and the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell on their faces; and they said, “(AI)The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God!” 40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to (AJ)the brook Kishon, (AK)and slaughtered them there.
41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of (AL)Carmel; and he (AM)bent down to the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, but he said, “There is nothing.” Yet Elijah said, “Go back” seven times. 44 And when he returned the seventh time, he said, “Behold, (AN)a cloud as small as a person’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot horses and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” 45 Meanwhile the sky became dark with clouds and wind came up, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to (AO)Jezreel. 46 Then (AP)the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and (AQ)he [n]belted his cloak around his waist and [o]outran Ahab [p]to Jezreel.
Elijah Flees from Jezebel
19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, and [q](AR)how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “(AS)So may the gods do to me and more so, if by about this time tomorrow I do not make your [r]life like the [s]life of one of them.” 3 And he [t]was afraid, and got up and ran for his [u]life and came to (AT)Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and (AU)he asked for himself to die, and said, “Enough! Now, Lord, take my [v]life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 Then he lay down and fell asleep under a broom tree; but behold, there was (AV)an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat!” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a round loaf of bread baked on hot coals, and a pitcher of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 But the angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him, and said, “Arise, eat; because the journey is too long for you.” 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and he journeyed in the strength of that food for (AW)forty days and forty nights to (AX)Horeb, the mountain of God.
Elijah at Horeb
9 Then he came there to a cave and spent the night there; and behold, (AY)the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 And he said, “(AZ)I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, (BA)torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And (BB)I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.”
11 So He said, “(BC)Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And (BD)a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, (BE)a sound of a gentle blowing. 13 When Elijah heard it, (BF)he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, (BG)a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 Then he said, “(BH)I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you have arrived, (BI)you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 You shall also anoint (BJ)Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel; and you shall anoint (BK)Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 And it shall come about that the (BL)one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu (BM)shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18 (BN)Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not (BO)kissed him.”
19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat while he was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah came over to him and threw (BP)his cloak on him. 20 Then he left the oxen behind and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please (BQ)let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back, for [w]what have I done to you?” 21 So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them, and (BR)cooked their meat with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and served him.
War with Aram
20 Now (BS)Ben-hadad, king of Aram, gathered all his army, (BT)and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and (BU)besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2 Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab, king of Israel, and said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’” 4 And the king of Israel replied, “As [x]you say, my lord, O king; I am yours, as well as all that I have.” 5 Then the messengers returned and said, “Ben-hadad says [y]this: ‘I did indeed send word to you, saying, “You shall give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children”; 6 but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and they will take in their hands everything that is pleasing to your eyes, and take it all away.’”
7 Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please be aware and (BV)see that this man is looking for trouble; for he sent me his demand for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” 8 Then all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen nor consent.” 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Everything that you sent as a demand to your servant at the first, I will do; but this thing I cannot do.’” Then the messengers departed, and brought him word again. 10 Ben-hadad sent word to him and said, “May (BW)the gods do so to me and more so, [z]if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who [aa]follow me.” 11 Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘(BX)He who straps on his weapons had better not boast like one who takes them off.’” 12 And when Ben-hadad heard this message, while (BY)he was drinking [ab]with the kings in the [ac]temporary shelters, he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.
Ahab Victorious
13 Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, (BZ)I am going to hand them over to you today, and (CA)you shall know that I am the Lord.’” 14 But Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “The Lord says this: ‘By the young men of the leaders of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who will begin the battle?” And he said, “You will.” 15 So he mustered the young men of the leaders of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Israel: seven thousand.
16 They went out at noon, while (CB)Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the [ad]temporary shelters [ae]with the thirty-two kings who were helping him. 17 The young men of the leaders of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” 18 (CC)Then he said, “If they have come out [af]for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive as well.”
19 So these men went out from the city, the young men of the leaders of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20 And they [ag]killed, each one, his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 The king of Israel also went out and struck the horses and chariots, and [ah]killed the Arameans in a great slaughter.
22 Then (CD)the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, show yourself courageous and be aware and see what you have to do; for (CE)at [ai]the turn of the year the king of Aram will march against you.”
23 Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “(CF)Their gods are gods of the mountains; for that reason they were stronger than we. But let us fight them in the plain, and we will certainly be stronger than they. 24 Carry out this [aj]plan: remove the kings, each from his place, and put governors in their place, 25 and [ak]muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and we will certainly be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.
Another Aramean War
26 So (CG)at [al]the turn of the year Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to (CH)Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the sons of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, (CI)while the Arameans filled the country. 28 Then (CJ)a man of God approached and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since the Arameans have said, “(CK)The Lord is a god of mountains, but He is not a god of valleys,” therefore (CL)I will hand over to you all this great multitude, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” 29 So they camped, one opposite the other, for seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel [am]killed of the Arameans a hundred thousand foot soldiers in a single day. 30 But the rest fled to (CM)Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city, going from one (CN)inner room to another.
31 But (CO)his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let’s (CP)put sackcloth [an]around our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will let [ao]you live.” 32 So (CQ)they put sackcloth [ap]around their waists and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “(CR)Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let [aq]me live.’” And Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33 Now the men took this as a good omen, and quickly [ar]accepting it from him, they said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he had him mount the chariot. 34 And Ben-hadad said to him, “(CS)The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you can make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.
35 Now a man from (CT)the sons of the prophets said to [as]another (CU)by the word of the Lord, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you leave me, (CV)a lion will [at]kill you.” And as soon as he left him a lion found him and [au]killed him. 37 Then he found another man and said, “Please strike me.” And the man struck him, [av]injuring him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and (CW)disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 And as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he goes missing, (CX)then your life shall be forfeited in place of his life, or else you shall pay a [aw]talent of silver.’ 40 Now while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself determined it.” 41 Then he quickly took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was one of the prophets. 42 And the prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you have let go from your hand the man I had designated for destruction, (CY)your [ax]life shall be forfeited in place of his [ay]life, and your people in place of his people.’” 43 So (CZ)the king of Israel went to his house sullen and furious, and came to Samaria.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.